The present invention relates to improvements in containers and cartons for use in shipping merchandise and the like, and more particularly to an improved container which can be used for shipping, storage, display and dispensing of merchandise.
In the manufacture, transportation and sale of articles it has been a general practice to employ containers or cartons to transfer goods from the place of manufacture to the place of sale whereupon the goods must be unpacked from the container and placed on shelves for display and sale in the store. Although such devices have served their purpose of transporting the goods from the manufacturer to the seller, they have not proved entirely satisfactory under all conditions of service because substantial labor is required to remove the merchandise from the carton and place it on the shelves in retail stores. Those concerned with the cost of stocking articles of merchandise in retail stores have recognized the need for a dual purpose carton or container which can be utilized to ship the goods from the manufacturer to the retailer and can be easily converted for use by the retailer as a display-dispensing device. This dual purpose carton eliminates the necessity of unpacking the goods from the container and transferring the goods to the shelves of the retail outlet.
To provide this dual purpose, the container must be of a sufficient strength and durability to be used as a shipping container for transporting the goods from the point of manufacture to the wholesaler and ultimately to the retail outlet. In addition, it is highly desirable that the container comply with governmental and shipper strength requirements and regulations. This is necessary for the container to be used to ship the goods through interstate commerce by common carriers. Thus, it is highly desirable that the container be of sufficient strength that it will not come apart during normal shipping activities.
It is also important that the carton or container be designed to minimize damage to the articles therein while converting the shipping container to a display and dispensing container. This is important in those instances where the container is used to ship individual packages formed from sheet material and containing granular material such as flour, sugar, salt and the like. The use of sharp or pointed tools to cut the container in converting the container to a display container is highly undesirable in that the tool may pierce or damage the individual packets in the container during this conversion process thus, spoiling portions of the goods.
In addition, if the conversion process requires substantial amounts of labor, the advantage in eliminating the labor required in unpacking of the shipping container and transferring of the materials to the shelves of the retailer will be offset by the labor required in converting the container to a display and dispensing container. Therefore, it is highly desirable that the container provide for easy conversion with a minimum amount of labor.
There is also an increasing trend in retail outlets, such as grocery stores, to stock merchandise on the shelves where the goods are removed by the customer rather than in a remote storage area. This insures the presence of articles when they are needed and makes it highly desirable that the containers used to ship the goods conform to these requirements. Thus, it is of primary importance that the container be capable of vertical stacking. It is also important that the containers be capable of stacking in either a shipping or display configuration thus, allowing for the conversion of the top two or three layers of the containers to display and dispensing configuration, so that as goods are removed from the top container, the container can be easily discarded and the next layer of containers utilized to display and dispense the goods without periodic attention of store personnel to convert the next lower container at that particular time. This advantage provides ease in access for the consumer of all the goods present on the shelves.
In addition, it is highly desirable that the cost consideration of the manufacturer of the goods be taken into consideration in design of the container. It is important that the container be of such a design that it can be loaded by conventional automatic loading apparatus presently available on the market. In addition, the cost of the container itself is of extreme importance to the manufacturer of the goods shipped therein in his competition with other manufacturers.
Attempts have been made to design containers which satisfy these needs. Typical examples of these attempts can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos.:
2,020,876 to Clark et al; PA1 2,042,107 to Koeble; PA1 2,152,079 to Mott; PA1 3,111,255 to Skowranski; PA1 3,139,979 to Russell; PA1 3,360,182 to Gunn; PA1 3,403,836 to Farquhar; PA1 3,510,046 to Reiner; PA1 3,653,495 to gray.
Although these containers have served their purpose, they have not proven satisfactory under all conditions of service.